The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has vowed that there will be no peace in Nigeria if the Fulanis are denied their rights.

In an interview with TheCable, chairman of the MACBAN Plateau state chapter, Mohammadu Nura, accused some communities of depriving herdsmen their indigenous rights, saying this had contributed to the current crisis between herdsmen and farmers.

According to him, “the Fulani villagers were ransacked by the Biroms (the locals). They are very many villages that were ransacked. Like in Kuru Janta, when they went there, they killed over 150 persons including women and children. This was in 2010. In Heipang, 83 persons were killed including the chief imam of Heipang. In Sabongida Kanan, 78 persons; in Kim Kim, 28 persons; in Waram, 19 persons.

“So many of the Fulani villages were ransacked, and now they have occupied the lands, claiming they are their own lands, whereas they are hereditary lands; customary lands belonging to the herdsmen. Some of the lands they are accusing Fulanis of chasing them away from belong to us and some of them belong to Biroms. I must not be biased. The larger portions of the lands belong to Biroms, but there are portions that belong to Fulanis. And Fulanis should not be denied their rights.

“Those that are not in Plateau think that Fulanis are not indigenes of Plateau. We have the history of Plateau state. Fulanis were one of the people who originated from Plateau state. Depriving Fulanis of their rights will never help us in Nigeria. It will never help peace in this country.”